Wednesday 28th May 2008
We’ll wait another day or two to give the Crick Show boats chance to get away. Shiny boats are still nose to tail between 7 in the morning and 5 at night. And there are a couple of local boats that are taking the Mick by joining in the crush and cruising between winding holes. We see them every couple of hours, first one way then the other. What’s that all about?

Our moorhens are now allowed out onto the water. Mum squawks for scraps from the galley window and fights the ducks to ensure her chicks get fed first. We’ve counted eight little red faced bald heads balancing on the reeds, looking a bit like wombles in the tall grass.

Some sad news came in this morning, a passing boater walked down the line telling everyone his mate’s car was pinched from bridge 20 last night. Maybe it’s not the idyllic place we’d been led to believe.

Thursday
A rare sunny day so we took the bus to Rugby. Tried to buy a “special” return for £3 but the driver wouldn’t have it, something about this service not being subsidised by the council. He issued standard returns instead for £2.70 saving us 30p each. Always listen to your friendly bus driver he said as we left. I wouldn’t call his driving friendly, way over 4mph I’d say.

The farmer's market in Rugby helped lift the weight from my wallet but we couldn’t spend anything on the two museums, both were free and we learnt loads about the Romans, local businesses and life in Rugby in the 1950s. Displays featured household effects from yesteryear, most of which we are either still using or are freshly lodged in my memory.

Searched for the Rugby Museum until we found it was a little shop opposite the school.
Entrance is through Webb Ellis’ shop next door and inside we discovered a little Alladin’s cave full of rugby football memorabilia.

Next to Webb Ellis we stumbled on Mo’s Fabrics, nothing to do with me I can assure you.

Back at the boat we met the proud new owners of nb.Nodoka, reg: 516632, a Blue Fish boat on its maiden voyage. Just out of Crick Show she looked pristine, as well it should, and brought back memories of Balmaha’s first cruise as we thrashed our way from Hanbury Wharf to Leicester one freezing cold week in January 2006.

Friday 30th
It’s a big day for No.1 son. Happy Birthday David. Try and get out of bed for some of it or it will be gone before you know it. Could it really be so many years ago that your arrival made me burn the beans? And did you really arrive smack on closing time so that I had to drive all the way home before celebrating your safe arrival. Just like your sister.

Time to leave Yelvertoft but first there’s a cruise south to turn around. The washing machine got a hammering, 11 days since we last ran this little water guzzler. Completely run out of clothes and had to wear some of them a second time. My rule is if it passes the sniff test then its safe for another day.

Crawling north past the woods I saw what looked like apple trees, until getting closer I realised these were oak trees with fruit the size of crab apples. Never seen oak apples this big or this plentiful. Are you sure I can’t eat them?

Eye-Spied nb.Octavia with its new paintwork (No. 516788). Fresh from the builders? I think so.

Just short of our intended stop we saw the remains of tree surgery and I just had to capture a couple of rings for the roof. You never know when a cold spell will hit and each of these little babies will feed the fire for a couple of evenings.

But oh dear what’s this? Bridge 59 has been posted with a notice telling boaters that mooring is forbidden between here and Foxton from the 1st to the 16th of June. What? We need to stop somewhere for the weekend, should we anchor in the middle of the canal?
V did a recce of the area and it seems that everywhere within walking distance of Foxton has been bagged for the Foxton Waterway Festival on the 14th and 15th. But no mooring for two weeks before the event? Even Crick’s Boat Show only bagged the moorings 4 days ahead of the event. Foxton’s festival must be a very, very special occasion.

However, we are here to stay for the weekend cos we’ve booked a Tesco drop so we can’t (shan’t) comply.

Lit a wood fire in the evening to burn BW notices for it had turned quite chilly.

Saturday 31st
The sun tried to shine first thing and in a gap between clouds we walked down to Bridge 61 for a token throat wetting. We found crowds of duck feeders, Vagabond screeching “Clear off, I want mooring space” and one little boy clutching a baby field mouse. “What should I do with it” he asked his Dad. “Just let it go” said his Dad, “put it in that lady’s pocket” said I, but you could see he wanted to take it home. It seemed happy in the palm of his hand as we all stroked it and told it how cute it was.

Spoke to a BW blue shirt walking up the towpath with notices and a staple gun so I asked “Why can’t I park my boat for a fortnight before the Festival”. “It’s changed” says he, “you can stop overnight until the 8th now. They will be pegging out the boat names and some boats might arrive early”. Yeah right, 2 weeks early?

Back at the boat I played aerials and managed a half decent conversation with Graham (G8LUV) somewhere west of Leicester. It’s early days with this transmitter and experiments are continuing in the search for an efficient aerial system that can be put together quickly and stored in a corner of the boat.

Our second BBQ of the year took place on the second warm evening of the year.

Sunday 1st June 2008
Now I’m not a Jazz enthusiast, particularly when the saxophone rips the air apart or takes the lead, but an easy-listening trad format does sit well with me and today’s little performance on nb.Puffin was very acceptable. This foursome, sorry don’t have names, played a sing-along, foot-tapping jazzy thing through Foxton’s Locks with a finale of “Down by the riverside” at Bridge 61 where they took well earned refreshments.

Graham and Sue joined us for the occasion and after sampling similar refreshment we took the inclined plane trail back to the top and rested for a while on Balmaha at her moorings beyond bridge 60.

I like it when visitors bring goody bags of stuff that we can’t get along the canal. Magazines, reference books and electronic things will always put a smile on my face. Graham is a really good egg and left me with bits and pieces that should keep me occupied for weeks. Trouble is I now have projects to last the rest of the year and am in danger of reprioritising boaty type jobs like oil changes and varnishing which won’t go down well with the ‘management’.

Next stop Leicester Riverside festivities with the help of Mike and Jo between Foxton and Kilby Bridge.

Our long term eye is still on the Fens which is why we are keeping up with Blogs by Gypsy Rover, No Problem and Moore 2 Life in case things have changed since we were last over there.